Pain of a New Life
by desy
Summary: SEQUEL to 'Pain of Another Life': Thanks to a fateful encounter with Victor, Rogue's mutation is back and she and Logan finally have valid clues to Wolverine's memories. Now the couple is on a journey to discover Logan's past and their relationship.
1. PROLOGUE

**Pain of a New Life**

SUMMARY: Thanks to a fateful encounter with Victor, Rogue's mutation is back and she and Logan finally have valid clues to Wolverine's memories. Now the couple is on a journey to discover Logan's past and their relationship. **Rogan, Victor/OC (later)**

SPOILER: Set after the X-Men movies Origins (Wolverine) X0, X1, X2, X3 and my fanfic "**Pain of Another Life**"

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Everything belongs to Marvel and FOX.

NOTE: This story is the SEQUEL to "Pain of Another Life". Like in its prequel there will be Victor Creed / Sabretooth in this fanfic. But please don't imagine the Sabretooth from X1, but the cool Victor portrayed by Liev Schreiber in Origins.

Jean is dead, Scott is alive, Xavier is alive, but due to his new body powerless

A/N: Big THANKS to all, who took the time to review the prequel to this piece.  
By the way: English is not my native language…

This chapter is my first attempt on a songfic.  
_Lyrics: "At the Beginning" by Richard Marx (Anastasia Soundtrack)_

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Prologue

After driving for two days straight across the United States and Canada with only short breaks for new gas, taking a bite in a diner and bathroom stops – they had taken turns with driving and sleeping – Logan finally steered their silver Jeep past the old and hardly readable sign of the small town in the Canadian Rocky Mountains that was their destination.

It had taken Rogue a huge amount of concentration and mental strength to worm the town's name out of her inner Victor – he was pissed that she didn't tell Logan that he'd played matchmaker for his little brother. But as soon as its name had left her lips Logan began to remember the place he'd spent some peaceful years with Kayla so long ago. Smiling the brunette noted the growing excitement on Logan's face as he drove along the main street past the town's center and bent into a road that led through the woods, the whole route recalling from his slowly returning memories.

A quarter hour after leaving downtown and crossing a small bridge near the end of the woods Rogue's brown eyes fell upon an old wooden cabin and a small hut adjoining it near a cliff. When the car finally came to a stop she noticed a new unknown emotion flicker over Logan's features as he remained in the driver seat, his hands held the steering wheel in a tight grip his knuckles whitening and his gaze never left the building. At first Rogue was unsure of this emotion, she had never witnessed it on her love's face before, but a few minutes later – Logan was like glued to his seat – she came to the conclusion that her Wolverine was indeed afraid of what might be waiting for him in his _previous_ life.

Tentatively she covered his hand with her gloved one squeezing it lightly. Slowly this broke the spell her Logan was under and his hazel eyes met hers taking strength from her encouraging smile. A moment later the Canadian leaned forward and captured the young woman's lips in a gentle kiss, breaking away when he felt the pull on his life force start. He shook the dizziness from his head before an insecure smile found its way on his lips. "It's no use sittin' here any longer, darlin'."

_= We were strangers starting out on our journey  
Never dreaming what we'd have to go through  
Now here we are and I'm suddenly standing  
At the beginning with you =  
_

As they stepped away from their car and approached the porch, walking by the two windows of the wooden front side of the cabin and finally rounded the corner Logan took in the back side with its large glass windows that covered the whole wall from top to bottom. Suddenly he slowed his pace and came to a halt staring into the bedroom, the old dark green and grey checkered curtains partly blocked his view. Rogue was by his side as always and entangled their fingers gazing up to his hardly readable face. "Ah like it, sugah."

Slowly Logan met her sparkling brown eyes telling him she indeed loved it.

"It's like Ah have imagined. This screams _you_." A large smile found its place on her lips. "This wooden cabin in the middle of the Canadian wilderness with so much space around it… and this breathtaking scenery!" She spun around never letting go of his hand and her eyes glittered with joy as they roamed over the giant canyon and the mountains beyond. "Ah wanna watch the sun rise and peek slowly over the snowy mountain tops!" She heard an amused chuckle and her Wolverine's arms move around her waist from behind. "It's so peaceful." The brunette leaned back against his broad chest, her hands rested on his on her middle and she felt him place a kiss on her dark head.

They stood there in comfortable silence, their thoughts wandering off along with the slight wind until Logan murmured. "I never thought about how or where I would want to live… There was no time for that with my search of my past… of the place I might have lived in as a completely different person." It slipped past his lips before he could grasped that he had indeed spoken those words out aloud.

_= No one told me I was going to find you  
Unexpected what you did to my heart  
When I lost hope you were there to remind me  
This is the start =  
_

Rogue shook her head rubbing it onto his chest before she turned around in his embrace and met his shy gaze. "Sugah, seeing this place and having some of your memories of your former life… Ah told ya mah Logan begins to remember too… Ah don't think that deep down James Howlett and Logan are so different."

A smirk plastered his features wondering on how well this young woman knew him – if he wouldn't know it any better he would think her a telepath. "Thought _I_ was _your_ Logan."

"Ya are, sugah. Don't change the topic." Her hands rested on his shoulders and her chocolate eyes drowned in his. "Ya always showed this other side of ya to me and only me. Your kindness and care… your love. They were always there and Ah think, sugah, this part of ya was James Howlett coming to the surface."

He didn't know what to say on that - this might be something to nag on in a sleepless night - and an annoyed growl rumbled in his throat.

"Too slobbery for mah Wolverine?" Grinning Rogue encircled his neck with her gloved arms and tip-toed to reach up kissing her Wolverine hard on the mouth.

After breaking away to avoid the drain of his life-force Rogue snuggled her face into his chest breathing in his unique scent of tobacco, leather and wood. "It's so beautiful here."

"No. It's nice here, you're beautiful, sweetheart."

Her dark eyebrow raised in surprise as her cheeks blushed. "Sweetheart?"

"Don't like it?" An eyebrow cocked he watched her smiling lips crush on his in a silent reply. "Thought about the vast collection of pet-names that exists." He added with a smirk when he let finally go of the brunette and slung one arm around her waist leading her back to the wooden side of the cabin where the entrance lay. "Let's have a look inside."

_= And Life is a road and I want to keep going  
Love is a river I want to keep flowing  
Life is a road now and forever  
A Wonderful journey =  
_

Their eyes fell in unison onto the lock of the oak door. "Ya don't have the key by chance, sugah?"

With a smug grin Logan slid one of his Adamantium claws from his knuckles and drove it through the lock, turning his hand to break the metal cylinder within the security device and the door soon gave way with a creak.

"Ooh, mah man is a housebreaker." Rogue joked with a grin and watched him retract his claw.

With as much care as Wolverine could give an inanimate piece of wood he slowly pulled the door towards his body, the old and rusty hinges screamed under the sudden movement and revealed a swollen doorpost due to water damage over the past two decades. To don't strain the already damaged hinges any more Logan left the door only half open, enough for him and Marie to have a look into the dusty room. Stepping inside his nostrils caught the foul smell of mold and noted his love's grimacing features behind him; she also smelled it though she still stood on the porch.

Tentatively he switched on the light, but as he already had guessed there was no electricity and the room remained covered half in darkness, the only light fell through the large glass wall on the opposite side of the room. But this was more than enough for his enhanced sight to have a good look of this old and abandoned cabin.

On the furniture all over the room lay a thick grey layer of dust, in the middle of the large living room - kitchen combination beneath the fireplace made of stone was a heap of small branches, rotten leaves and dirt reaching up all the way into the chimney. Growling Logan inwardly cursed the bad condition his cabin was in, but then again it were almost two decades.

Meanwhile Rogue had entered the old building noting with distaste the cobwebs almost everywhere and her eyes finally locked onto a rather large spot in a corner. The entire parquet and the adjoining wooden walls in that spot were swollen and deformed, mold was growing in the gaps of the wood.

"You still like it, baby?" His eyebrow was cocked.

Rogue kicked a heap of rotten leafs with her boot revealing more white and black mold beyond. "We have to clean it a little."

He faced her startled. "A little?!"

"'K, we need a tsunami roll through the house." Switching on the torch light she had taken from their car, Rogue pointed the small light ray over the dirty floor and eventually up the damaged corner, silently cursing that Logan's enhanced senses had already left her. As the ceiling was finally covered in light, she took in the awning that peaked through a soccer ball big hole of the wooden roof. She frowned at the makeshift repair. "That's weird."

Logan looked up from tattered couch – the cushions on the timber frame were torn and the fluffy filling pulled out on virtually all ends. "Whatdaya mean?"

Stepping closer Marie inspected the corner more closely. "The roof… it was fixed. But rather sloppy." She heard her love approach and pointed her index finger up.

Narrowing his sharp eyes Logan noticed the swollen roof-parts surrounding the repair and the dried water damage of the adjoining walls. "You're right, darlin', that's weird." Had someone taken care of this cabin in the last years? But why only repairing the worst damage and not renovate the entire hut so you could use it? A loud stomp of Rogue's foot onto the parquet ripped Logan's eyes from the ceiling and back to the brunette next to him, squashing something under her boot. A second later she lifted her foot again and thundered it back down onto another spider crawling obviously over the floor.

Rogue felt his gaze on her and looked up with a smug smirk. "Thought Ah would shriek like a little girl?!"

Grinning he shook his head. "Nah. Otherwise the poor spider on your shoulder'd have a heart attack."

The brunette's corners of her mouth fell downwards as her eyes widened in disgust and she began to smack her shoulders with her hands and torch light in panic. "Eeek, where! Kill it, Logan!" After a moment of terror her ears caught the dark laughter of her Wolverine. Stopping her strange dance she glared at the man with burning eyes, several auburn strains torn from her ponytail and sprawled about her face, mixing up with her white streaks. "Jerk!"

'_She's so cute when she's angry.' _Logan thought unable to bite his chuckles down.

Annoyed the young woman turned on her heels and stormed across the living room. With her arms crossed over her chest she let her gaze travel out the large windows over the breathtaking scenery of the Rockies and then back in over the small dining table with its two chairs placed directly in front of the overwhelming panorama. Dust and dried plant parts covered the tabletop around a tiny vase and she began to wipe them off the table absently.

Logan had approached one of the two doors leading to other rooms within the cabin and was now entering the bedroom. His eyes fell upon the king-size bed, and then swiftly swept along the walls and the ceiling, thankful that no water damages were visible.

"Odd… the bedroom is rather clean. There are almost no cobwebs in here." He called, so Rogue would hear his findings. "And the dust layer isn't as thick as in the main room."

The brunette made her way over to the smaller room and took a not so deep breath as her gaze inspected the furniture. "It even smells better."

"No mold in here." The Canadian explained rather surprised and neared the nightstand and the framed picture on it.

"But therefore a happy face is craved into the wall." Her fingers ran over the scratches and she wondered if this hut was a secret hide-out of the local teenagers. Her suspicion was strengthened by the heap of butts gathered in a mug. With a sigh her eyes left the makeshift ashtray and wandered over to her love. He stood there like frozen with his back to her holding something that had caught his full attention. She wasn't sure if it was sorrow or hurt she felt coming from him, but decided to support and sooth his troubled emotions with her closeness.

_= I'll be there when the world stops turning  
I'll be there when__ the storm is through  
In the end I wanna be standing  
At the beginning with you =  
_

Her shoulder brushed against his upper arm as she caught sight of the two people in the picture Logan was holding. "She was beautiful." Rogue stated and a small smile formed on her lips as she studied the old photo. In it Logan's face was soft and relaxed with a loving smile – an expression he showed only to his Marie normally – his arm holding Kayla by the waist pressing her tightly to his body. "You two looked happy together." Rogue didn't feel jealous seeing this evidence of his former life and love, but was glad that Logan finally has found his lost past and the knowledge that he weren't such a monster, Stryker had told him he had been. And that there was someone, who had loved the scared soul of his.

"It feels kinda unreal." Logan eventually murmured, tracing the glass of the frame with his index finger before tearing his gloomy gaze from the picture and met his Marie's kind eyes.

Seeing his face Rogue noticed the tears shimmering in his hazel eyes, threaten to fall any moment. She saw his struggle and lifted her hand to his face, running her fingertips down his temple and over his sideburns. "It's fine."

Those words were all that was needed to give into his sorrow about his forgotten past and before he knew it, Logan found himself in a comforting embrace while long overdue tears streamed down his cheeks. Burying his face in Rogue's salt-and-pepper hair, his arms wrapped tightly around her petite frame, the picture pressed to her back while she just held him and caressed his back soothingly.

_= We were strangers on a crazy adventure  
Never dreaming how our dreams would come true  
Now here we stand unafraid of the future  
At the beginning with you =  
_

But instead of giving into his sadness Logan lifted his head and locked his watery gaze with the young woman's, holding her pressed to his chest. "Nah, Kayla is my past. You are my future." He told her fighting his tears again.

The brunette shook her head, feeling her own eyes at the brim of tears. Her heart ached for the man in her arms, whom wasn't only his identity denied for so long, but also the right to mourn what he had lost. "But ya never had a chance to close that chapter of your life. To grieve." She felt her inner Logan's misery wash over her as his flesh and blood counterpart finally surrendered to his emotions.

_= I knew there was somebody somewhere  
Like me alone in the dark  
I know that my dream will live on  
I've been waiting so long  
Nothing's gonna tear us apart =  
_

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A/N: Hope you liked this short chapter.

Please leave a review, those little words lighten up my day :)


	2. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

A/N: Big Thanks for the nice reviews! Sorry this update took so long, but another Rogan-plot popped up in my mind and wouldn't leave me alone, till I wrote that other story down.

Now I have two Rogan-fanfics running, never intended this to happen…

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**Chapter 1**

Half an hour later, Logan's eyes were still red and puffy from his tears, as he opened the door to what he now remembered to be the bathroom and took in the rather good condition the walls and ceiling were in. The mold restricted only to the windowsill and the frame of the milk-tainted glass. Despite the thick layer of dust on the toilette-seat, the huge corner bath-tube and the sink the room was pretty clean and he dared to give the tabs a try.

The mutant watched expectantly as his sensitive ears caught a gurgling and rumble, praying that the old pipes weren't broken. Suddenly the gargling noise subsided. Just as Logan was about to give up and turn it shut, a low growl vibrated in the metal parts of the sink and a blast of a brown broth thundered against the white ceramic, splattering there. Without delay he turned the tabs down, but it didn't lessen the ferocity the dirty soup was thrown into the basin, spraying onto Logan's white tee shirt. "Jesus!"

Wolverine snarled at the mess before him, his nerves thinning. Then with a last roar the flow steadied suddenly and the broth was finally tamed. Opening the faucets to their fullest again and watching the brown sauce disappear in the drain open, Logan grunted through his teeth. "We have water! If ya wanna call it that way..."

"Eww." Rogue had approached the other room and stood in the doorframe her eyes observing the mess in the washbasin and on her love's shirt. "Ya're a piggy, Wolvie." He shot her an annoyed glare – he wasn't in the mood for jokes. "Uhu, it becomes clear!" Rogue exclaimed as the water lost its brown shade.

"That's promisin'." The Canadian faced his girl with a grave expression. "But don't think 'bout drinkin' it."

"Ah might hear voices in mah head, but Ah'm not nuts!" The brunette shot him a disbelieving glare and walked over to the small window, opening it – making the way free for fresh air.

Worry flashed over Logan's face as he observed her movements. "Gonna buy you new gloves, baby. Those are contaminated."

Startled she cut in on breathing in the fresh air and faced the man behind her. "Huh?" Following his gaze she noticed the dark patches of mold and other grime on her blue opera gloves. "Another pair ruined." Sighing she returned to the bedroom and sank down on the mattress.

Running her hand over the white sheet beneath her – silently cursing as she left black streaks of mold doing so - her chocolate eyes fell upon three parallel slices. With a chuckle on her lips she sprang back to her feet and clutched the cloth. "Your lively nightmares aren't somethin' new, sugah."

Scowling Logan leaned in the doorframe his arms crossed over his chest, a bewildered glance sparkling in his eyes. "How-" His question was already answered by Rogue holding a torn blanket before her body. "Seems so."

Giggling the young woman tossed the fabric back onto the bed and approached the nightstand curiously. Opening the drawer she looked in it, finding an old motorcycle magazine, a few cigars, a debt obligation – telling some guy called Doug owed Logan 20 bucks for poker – and a card, she immediately picked up. "Ah found your ID." She read out loudly, a smile on her lips. "James Logan Howlett. Born in Alberta, Canada. So Logan is now officially your middle name." She laughed and heard her love approach. "Your ID is a little expired. Only for 17 years."

His own curiosity got the better of him and he snatched the card from Marie's fingers, sucking in all dates presented by the paper. He wondered if the birth-date and birthplace were correct or made up, but a feeling told him they were accurate, except for the year of his birth, of course. Eventually he eyed the picture of him. "Stupid photo."

"Nah, cute.", chirped the brunette next to him, peeking over his biceps onto the ID.

"As I say: stupid."

She watched him shove the card into his jeans' back-pocket. "Ah like that haircut."

Logan only huffed in reply, inwardly smirking on the idea to see the faces of his fellow X-Men if he would abandon his trademark hair spikes. He assumed everyone, except his Marie, thought them part of his feral mutation, but in truth – and that would astonish those geeks even more – he used toiletries. His year long use of mousse had shaped his hair into its two pointy ends by now, so even a shower couldn't completely deform his hairstyle so easily.

X X X X

The small closet in the bedroom only revealed next to dresses, skirts and other clothes that had once belonged to Kayla, several blue jeans, flannel shirts, wife-beaters and tee-shirts, causing a hysterical laughter from the brunette and a comment about his clothing style being apparently tied to his genes.

Back in the main room the two of them approached a second door and a wave of sickly foul stench met their noses as soon as Logan opened the door. "Breath through your mouth."

"Ah'm doing this the whole time!" She snapped back annoyed. "That reeks like a rat's decaying!"

"Cuz there is." Logan gestured over to a corner. Maggots and flies colonized the rotting flesh of what once was the body of a rat.

Disgusted Rogue averted her gaze and struggled with the gagging reflex. "That with the rat was a joke…"

The intense smell made Logan's stomach clench and his head squirm, nevertheless he neared the corpse. He was glad to notice a broom, dustpan and hand brush in another corner. Fetching the smaller cleaning tools he crouched down next to the rat and its fellow lodgers and swept them up onto the miniature shovel and carried the mess over to the trash can deposing everything into the garbage bag. Lifting the plastic bag up, he fastened it with knots before opening the window.

Rogue gave him a look of gratitude and waited a moment till her stomach had settled again and the fresh summer air had eased her breathing. She watched Logan's gaze sweep over the desk and decided to join him. "Oh, mah granny had such a thing on her desk!"

"That _thing_ is a typewriter, Marie." His voice was edged with annoyance and disbelief.

With curious eyes the young woman scrutinized the machine. The different keys had a thick layer of dust on them, but the letters on them were still recognizable and the whole compilation reminded her on a keyboard. "Ah know, sugah. It's like an ancient computer."

"I give you ancient…" Logan muttered under his breath inspecting the swollen panels framing the bookshelf. Carefully he dug his fingers in the small gap between shelf and wall and began to pull it towards his body. Before he could have a good look on the backside, his nostrils picked up on the unique stench of mold and wet, rotting wood. Daring a glance behind the shelf the Canadian took in the wet grey mold that covered the backside of the bookshelf and the swollen wall.

Meanwhile Marie's attention was wrapped up by the old writing utensil. Remembering her mother used to have a more modern typewriter than her grandmother, she looked for a power cable, but found none. Curiosity got the better of her and while noting a single sheet of paper in the machine she pressed the 'h'-key. "Ooh, it doesn't even use electricity!" She exclaimed with a brilliant smile forming on her pink lips as she resumed her typing, finishing the word 'hello'.

Logan rolled his eyes and heard his Wolverine snicker in his mind. Deciding that the entire wall behind the shelf needed to be replaced, he let a low growl of annoyance loose, before returning to the main room he closed the window again.

Instead of hearing Rogue's light footfalls on the wooden floor behind him, the clicking of the typewriter continued. Turning around he shook his head on the brunette in amusement. Who had thought an antique writer would catch the young woman's undivided attention? "The museum tour is over, kid." He chuckled as he saw her shoulders twitch in surprise and he resumed his way to the other room.

With a pout she left the study, closing the door behind her and examined the main room once again. "No TV? Weren't ya a hockey fan back then, huh?" She knew something had bothered her the entire time: Logan and no hockey, unbelievable in her opinion.

"Dunno, but I doubt there was television reception this far in the wilderness 20 years ago."

"True. Gonna try if mah notebook has DTT reception here."

Logan shot her a smug grin and watched her open some drawers in the kitchen. "I'm not the only hockey fan here, huh?" He joined her and opened a cupboard revealing a few cans. Growling again he picked one can of kidney beans up.

"We'll need some boxes to sort stuff out." Rogue heard a grunt from her love and continued. "The plates, mugs and cutlery just need cleaning. And the books in the study weren't damaged."

Her last comment made the Wolverine snicker, the girl was such a bookworm. "We'll also need garbage bags and somethin' to get rid of the dirt gluin' to everythin'. Bleach or the like."

Rogue inspected the old gas stove. The interior was only a little dusty, but all in all it was in a good condition and might actually still work. Closing the oven with a light thud she approached the fridge and her hand immediately enclosed the holder. The door wasn't even fully open when the brunette already regretted her decision to examine the inner of the old machine. The stench that was invading her nostrils burned her nose's mucosa and brought a stinging pain to her forehead. If the reek hadn't already made her stomach turn and twist, the view of the black broth streaming from the inner of the fridge and gathering in a puddle on the wooden floor, would have.

Throwing the door shut with more force than intended, Rogue struggled again against the gagging reflex, but was sure she would loose this time and hasted through the half opened front door to the porch. One of her hands clutched her middle, the other one tried to stroke her white and brown locks from her face as she had a reunion with her lunch.

Logan swore never before in his life – he now knew that he had wandered the earth for far more than one and a half centuries – had he ever inhaled such an awful and strangling smell as he did in that very moment. His chest was burning, tears sting at his eyes and his head ached while he prayed his enhanced senses would go numb at once. Holding his breath he saw Rogue rush out of the cabin, away from the terrible reeking soup on the floor. Logan's head began to cloud by the obtrusive stench that penetrated his nose and his survival instincts told him that sometimes retread was the best option left, when faced with an overwhelming opponent. Hence Wolverine followed his girl out of the hut and away from the smell.

With a last cough Rogue wiped her mouth with the back of her dirty glove and finally looked up to see the other mutant lean both his hands flat against the wall next to her, catching his breath. His red eyes burned with anger into her. "W- why in fuckin' h- hell did you open that d- damn fridge?!"

"Sorry!" The brunette spit back at his growling accuses.

"Curious idiot!"

"What!" Her eyes widened in disbelief, through it wasn't the first time he had called her an idiot, but never in that annoyed tone. "Come again!"

"Jesus! Whadya expect in a fridge after two fuckin' decades without electricity!" The Canadian heard her growl in frustration and finally added "Idiot!".

"Asshole!" Pulling her ruined gloves from her hands the younger mutant stomped towards their car seething with anger.

A few minutes passed, in which Marie leaned against the Jeep and kicked stones to vent her anger. Eventually Logan approached her, his face as gruff as ever and his agitated hazel orbs locked with her chocolate ones in an instant. Both stared the other straight in the eyes, their gazes never wavering while neither of the two hardheads thought about backing down.

A small eternity later Rogue still held the feral's glare, her lips formed a cocky grin. "If we keep to exposure the floor to that smoldering broth long enough, the cabin'd have a basement in no time."

His anger vanished and a snicker escaped his lips. "Not gonna try this."

Marie pushed away from the car and her grin widened, their little argument already forgotten. "We could wait till the stuff in the fridge is mutated enough to walk out of the cabin on its own…"

This comment made Logan chuckle and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pressing her petite frame into his broad chest. "Let's have a look into the garage 'fore headin' into town to get some supplies." She nodded slightly and he leaded her over to the smaller wooden hut.

After opening the garage door with some difficulty their gazes fell immediately on a beat up pickup truck, an old Harley, a chainsaw propped up in a corner and a counter with the adjoining wall harboring a large variety of tools, ranging from screwdrivers to saws and two axes. When Logan approached the tools to inspect the condition the utilities were in, two rats scampered through the small hut before scurrying out into the wilderness, making Rogue jump. "Argh!"

The brunette saw the smirk on her love's face, but decided to ignore him for the moment. She neared the motorbike with huge eyes, scrutinizing the battered machine. The knowledge about mechanics she got from the feral brothers told her that a lot of work would be needed before the bike could hit the road again.

"Most of the tools are fine. No need to buy new stuff for the repairs of the cabin."

"Good to hear, sugah."

Logan walked over to the pickup, inspecting the rust on the doorframe and the sides. His fingertips traced over the cool metal as he went over to the hood. His sharp eyes immediately caught sight of the five scratches in the cover. "What is it with Victor and always damagin' my cars?" Wolverine growled annoyed.

Marie approached him and the damaged car when she heard the older feral's voice in her mind. _"Hey, with that shitty camper I did humanity a fuckin' favor!"_

"_What favor?!?" _Her inner Logan barked back.

"_The only use for that _thing_ was to get smashed with a tree trunk and blown to bits!" _Marie burst out into a fit of laughter, earning a startled glare from the real Logan. _"See even your girl agrees with me."_

The brunette tried to concentrate on formulating a whole sentence in her mind, when she heard Logan's snarl. _"Sorry, sugah… but that camper was a dump."_

"_Face it, you lived like a pig, Jimmy!" _Victor took to teasing his brother like a duck to water. _"Always bought second hand crap. Spendin' your time screwin' garbage cans on wheels than women…" _This made Marie laugh even more and she leaned on the hood of the car for hold.

"_Ain't true. Found the time for both…uhu, Marie, darlin'…" _His uneasiness about his slip of tongue only fuelled the brunette's hysterics and she clutched her stomach while tears sprang to her eyes.

"_You'd still wallow in your own smut, if the runt wouldn't look after you!"_ Victor was so right sometimes.

Despite her first impression of Sabretooth years ago, with his rough and uncombed long hair, she had learned through the brothers' memories that Victor was the one to favor a clean and luxurious hotel room over a cheap and filthy fleabag or even a night spent camping in the wilderness – not that he would have problems to live in the dirt, whereas Logan indeed didn't give a damn as long as the prize was right and he had a roof over the head and a bed to crash on. This was one of the insights into the brothers' personalities that surprised Marie the most.

Logan watched the girl laugh like a loon, his brow hitched in his trademark style and his arms crossed over his chest. "What's so fuckin' funny, Marie?"

"Ooh, … nothin'… they're just arguing again…" She tried to calm down, shoving the brothers' voices to the back of her mind, where they would hopefully remain for a while.

His brow rose even higher, if that was possible. "Usually that would make you everything else than laugh." Her amused face made him even more curious. "What're they saying?"

"Nah…" She shook her head vehemently and fled out of the hut and to their Jeep. While waiting for her Wolverine to return, she caught her breath and stripped out of her thin dark green camisole top, revealing a white spaghetti top, and packed it together with her dirty gloves away in a spare plastic bag, they kept in the trunk for laundry. Afterwards she fetched another thin but long-sleeved jacket and a new pair gloves from the duffle bag.

Logan eventually joined her at the car, glad to see she had stripped out of the most likely contaminated clothes. "The damn rodents had gnawed on the pick-up's cables. Had hoped to use the old girl to transport the construction supplies."

"Old girl, huh?" Rogue grinned in mock irritation and slid into the passenger seat.

The Canadian was about to revive the engine, but then glanced over to the young woman next to him. He reached out with his callused hand and cupped her face through her hair gently. Marie leaned instinctively into his warm touch as her eyes searched for his.

"Wanna give you a share of my healin', darlin'." Before she could argue back he continued with a serious expression. "Not a chance in hell I let you catch an exotic disease from that bacteria incubator." He saw her contemplate his words. "Along the way we might add to my immunity to your skin, babe." This did the trick and she nodded.

Logan bent forward and captured her soft lips into a long and loving kiss, concentrating his attention on her warm skin and sweet taste than the pull of life-force and the pain.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X

They were in a grocery store in downtown, the shop seemed to be a family business, but wasn't that small like most of the convenience stores were, she knew from her hometown. It offered a vast range of different brands and no-name-articles and their cart was already stuffed full with two six packs of Molson, two bottles Pepsi and a few packages beef jerky next to two large bottles of bleach, three packages of plastic garbage bags and rubber gloves in two different sizes.

Marie eyed the different kinds of cleaners – for the kitchen, the parquet, the bathroom and windows. "Ya think three bottles of each will be enough?"

"Take the whole box, Marie. For each." Logan answered as he rearranged their cart's contents, so the four boxes had enough room.

"I wanna look for a trailer. We need something to transport the fridge and the building material with." He said while they finally neared the check out counter.

Only an elderly woman was before them in the row and Rogue began to place their groceries on the counter's conveyor, contemplating if they got all necessary items. "Oh, cleanin' rags!"

"I'll get 'em."

The beer was the first thing on the conveyor and Rogue smiled as the other customer had left and the clerk, whose name tag read Ben, greeted her. She felt like a kid at Christmas morning. She may be too young to buy alcohol legally in her home country, but here in Canada she was old enough. "Do ya need to see mah ID?" She smiled at the cashier, how she had always dreaded this question back in Westchester.

"Nah, won't be necessary. Your …" The young man paused a moment before gesturing with his chin after Logan. "He looks old enough."

The brunette was a bit upset and cranky about his answer. _'Damn. Now Ah wanna show mah ID and he doesn't want it!'_

Logan returned with a box of cleaning rags. "Got you your Oreos, honey."

Rogue instantly forgot about her ID and beamed at her love. "Ooh, thanks!" Snatching the box from the stack of cleaning rags in his arms, she handed it the young man on the other side of the counter as her gaze centered on the chewing gums on its surface. "May Ah have those?" Her chocolate eyes met Logan's hazel ones, silently asking if his sensitive senses could put up with the smell today.

"Yeah, but not those lemon ones. Those stink awfully." He grunted and began to reload the boxes into the cart.

"Ya're the best." The brunette beamed at him and decided for cherry flavor, handing the chewing gum to Ben.

The gruff man with the sideburns and the battered leather jacket looked so familiar, but Ben couldn't put his finger on where he might have seen him. "Do I know you, bub?"

Startled Logan looked up from his purchases and mustered the stranger. "Possible." He replied after a long moment and then decided that this man might indeed know him. "I used to live here a long time ago."

Ben suspended to scan the next articles and eyed the older man closer. Suddenly he remembered the face, one in his memories the man didn't wear that dark scowl and that odd hairstyle. "Oh yeah, you're Ms. Silverfox's boyfriend. Always picked her up after school."

"That's right." Logan's eyes widened. The guy indeed knew him. "You knew Kayla, bub?"

"I was one of her students." Ben's smile grew, before he frowned slightly. "It's now 19… 20 years ago? The two of you suddenly vanished from the earth's surface." The man held a what-happened expression.

Wolverine's gaze darkened in pain and traveled down to the counter. "We had an accident and … Kayla died. I lost my memories… it will be 19 years soon."

"I'm sorry t' hear that. The kids loved her." His sympathy was genuine, Logan could tell by scenting the air. "So you're back now?"

"Yeah, hopefully this place will help me with my memory gaps."

"The town has changed a great deal in the last two decades. Grows every year." Ben finally resumed with his work. "But some places never change. Hope your stay will help you."

Logan nodded in thanks and paid for their groceries. "Do ya know where the next second-hand car dealer is?"

"Down the main street, the last branch to the right. You can't miss it."

"Thanks, bub." The mutant shoved his change back into his wallet. He had decided that he liked that guy Ben, who gave him helpful and short answers, just the way Logan liked it. "Is here some kind of accommodation opportunity? My old cabin didn't cope so well with the years as I did."

"There's an Inn down the street. The light yellow house." Ben informed him and saw the two off, wondering if the girl was Kayla's and Logan's daughter. She seemed to have the right age…

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

A/N: Tell me what you think of this ficlet :)


	3. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I still own nothing.

A/N: Big THANKS for the reviews!

Sorry this update took so very long, but all the nice feedbacks to my other Rogan fanfiction made me so happy, that my whole concentration centered on 'Diapers, Schoolbooks and Adamantium Claws' and I neglected this story.

So here you go!

X X X X X X

CHAPTER 2

They hadn't slept quite well in the car the last two days and though her nightmares would probably haunt her tonight, she was too exhausted to stay awake while sharing the bed with Logan. Healing from virtually everything is fine, but his body still needed sleep, which he had lacked of in the last few days.

After the supplies were safely stowed away on the Jeep's backseats, Logan suggested to call it a day. He'd get up earlier tomorrow and look for the trailer and fetch breakfast while Rogue would still sleep.

As soon as they stepped into the small foyer of the Inn, an elderly woman greeted them with a genuine smile from behind the reception desk. The two mutants approached her – Rogue taking in the waiting area, consisting of a couch and armchairs in front of a fireplace. Logan met the woman's gaze his usual grumpy face relaxed a little, after all he was here to get in touch with his past and scaring away the residents of his former hometown wouldn't be helpful in that matter.

"Welcome."

"Hello, we need a room for at least…" Logan contemplated a moment the condition of his cabin. "… the next five days."

With a smile Rogue added quite fast, "With two beds, please." Wolverine knew why his girl voiced this request and his tired body and mind thanked her.

The woman's fingers flew over the computer's keyboard and her smile faded somewhat. "I'm very sorry, but we have only rooms with one bed left." After a pause she clarified. "It's tourist season."

The Canadian only shrugged as he threw a glance at his love next to him while digging for his wallet in his jeans' back pocket. "Then we've to get creative, Marie."

"But all our rooms have a couch." Their host explained and retrieved a key holding it to the brunette, who lifted her gloved hand beyond the counter and accidentally revealed a box of snacks she was holding. The girl blushed caught and clutched her Oreos to her chest like a young child would with its favorite teddy bear. "It's fine, honey." The elderly woman smiled again. "I'm Helen Sheridan. My husband and I are the owner of this lil' Inn. As long as you don't start cookin' up in your room, you can take your sweets up to your room."

"Thank ya." Rogue's blush still wouldn't fade from her cheeks. This was a hotel and not one of the crappy motels, they used to stop.

"Breakfast is inclusive. From 7 till 9 am." Helen read the signature on the paper, she had slipped towards the man for the contact information. "Have a nice stay, Mr. Howlett."

"Thanks."

Her eyes darted back to the paper and the name. "Logan Howlett… I knew I've seen you before!" Helen's face lit up in disbelief and excitement. "My son Rick used to work with you at the loggin' side." Her enthusiasm died down when she saw the man frown in puzzlement, his eyes holding an odd mixture of hope and pain. "I'm sorry. I must confuse you with someone… It's you just look so much like him."

"No, ma'am. You might be right." Logan wasn't one to throw around with private information or his trauma about his lost past, but this town symbolized a turning-point in his search for his identity and he needed to give those people something in order to gain more aspects about his former life. "Had an accident and lost my memories." The Wolverine inside him snarled about the pity he saw in the woman's features, but Logan ignored him. "Only recently… I found out 'bout my name and where I used to live."

"Oh, dear." Helen watched the brunette clasped the man's large hand and squeeze it reassuringly. "You used to work as a logger. Your girlfriend was a teacher at the local elementary school. Her name…"

"Kayla Silverfox." Logan put in as a faint picture of Kayla and him driving to work appeared before his mind's eye.

"Oh, yes Miss Silverfox… If I remember correctly the two of you vanished twenty years ago…" Her words trailed off when she saw the hurt flicker in his hazel orbs.

"Kayla didn't survive that accident back then." The Canadian gripped the strap of the duffle bag on his shoulder tighter when he heard Rogue's steady voice.

"We're here to jog his memories. But the drive here was long and we need rest." She could feel his exhaustion. The visit of his past is taking its toll at her love. His life had always consisted of pain and loss and even the strongest man could deal with such information only in small doses at a time.

Their host looked bashful. "Oh, yeah, sorry. I got carried away." She gestured over to the stairs leading upwards. "Your room is on the second floor at the far end of the corridor."

"Thank ya. " The young woman smiled at her and she and Logan made they way to their room, while Helen wondered about the kind of relationship her two newest visitors stood to each other.

X X X X X

The room was clean and homey furnished. The sun fell through the curtains onto the couch on the opposite wall and the king-size bed in the middle of the room. On each of the two pillows rested a small bar of chocolate, to sweet the welcome. Logan opened the door to the bathroom, noting with a smile that it harbored a bathtub next to a small shower-cabin. He usually enjoyed the warm drops sprayed from a shower onto his tensed muscles, kneading the stress away, above a bath, but at the moment the chance of a relaxing bath sounded alluring.

Rogue flapped onto the bed, kicking off her boots, making one of them hit the dresser on which the small TV was positioned. "So people remember ya, sugah. And they do in a good way." Her head titled to the side, meeting Logan's gaze as he approached her and set their bag onto the sofa.

"Seems so." A faint smile tugged on his lips. It felt still so surreal that he was finally in touch with his long lost past. He had always been on the hunt for leads to his former life, always expecting to find his answers slowly and with much effort. But now everything lay before his feet and he just needed to put the puzzle together.

The words Stryker had told him at the raid of the mansion had always haunted and scared him. That his past might have been darker and plastered with more corpses than the last 19 years of his miserable existence were. But at the moment his past had its shady sites and he surely had committed a lot of injustice and massacres, but all in all it seemed James Logan Howlett wasn't such a despicable person he dreaded he might have been.

Howlett had lived a pretty normal and peaceful life with his girlfriend in their cabin in the Canadian wilderness. He had a job as logger and seemed to have friends among the locals, who still held fond memories of him and Kayla. Maybe his Marie was right and there was no need to fear James Howlett, since he wasn't that different from his former self.

Rogue had already fetched one of the chocolates and was sucking on it with pleasure. He unwrapped the second sweets and plopped it into his mouth earning a pout from the beauty spread out on the bed. She had hoped to also get his.

With a teasing smirk Logan crawled onto the mattress and leaned over her body. He saw her swallow her chocolate and bent down to capture her lips into a passionate kiss, his tongue was granted access immediately and found its dancing partner in her hot mouth. She tasted sweeter than ever and he cursed her mutation as it stepped into action and he had to break away reluctantly.

Marie smiled up at his face. "Thanks, sugah." And she let the second piece of chocolate melt on her tongue.

Placing a peck to her lightly swollen lips the Canadian rolled off of her and leaped to his feet. "Gonna take a long bath, darlin'. Now is your last chance to use the toilet."

"Huhu, afraid Ah would get a glimpse of your naked ass, sugah. Never thought ya the prude type." Marie slowly got up from the soft beddings and neared the bathroom. She knew he didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable or push her. This all was so new to her and her returned mutation wasn't a hindrance for the Wolverine as he had already told her about a possibility for them to become intimate.

X X X X X

Rogue had showered after her love had finally left the bathroom almost an hour later. If it wasn't for his healing factor she'd have worried that he might had hit his head and lay bleeding on the floor or that he had accidentally drowned. But she figured he needed the time alone in the relaxing water to brood over their findings.

When she entered the main room dressed in her pajama shorts and a sleeveless shirt, the brunette noted that the pillow and blanket she had placed onto the couch for her to sleep there, have already wandered back to their former spot on the bed. On the one nightstand stood a half empty bottle of beer, on the other Rogue's Pepsi. They had smuggled the drinks in their duffel bag into the room.

Logan wore his usual night attire: His battered blue jeans and his wife-beater. "Logan." Her voice held understanding, but also worry. She approached him at his position looking out the window. "One wrong touch and Ah could kill ya during sleep." Her eyes were fearful.

He turned around to face the troubled girl, his eyes kind and reassuring. "You know how dangerous it is to be near me during a nightmare." His hands wandered to her waist.

"But ya would never hurt me on purpose."

He saw the concern for him in her chocolate eyes. "Neither would you!" His gaze switched quickly to the bed, then back to Marie. "There's only this one bed and I refuse to believe that I will never be able to sleep with you next to me." This might happen if his plan with becoming immune to her skin wouldn't work.

Logan stepped forward slowly, making her walk backwards towards the bed. When her legs touched the mattress his eyes began to twinkle with a predator's lust. "We are both dangerous in bed." His hot breath tickled against her lips before he kissed her pushing her carefully down on the bed. He broke the kiss only shortly avoiding the pull on his life-force. She immediately responded to his soft lips, her bare hands tangling in his dark mane. After a few of those resumed kisses Logan finally pulled away looking straight in her brown eyes. "You won't leave my side tonight, my love." With a quick peck he rolled off of her and stretched out on the bed next to her slender frame.

Panting hard Rogue sighed and titled her head to the side to see her love. "That's torture." She wanted a long lasting kiss, the opportunity to explore his mouth with her tongue, and not those teasing glimpses.

"You say." Lifting an eyebrow he stood up and left the room. "I'm gonna take a really cold shower."

The brunette giggled about the bulge in his pants and rolled off the bed and headed for another pair of pj pants – long ones and fetched Logan's red button-up from the floor shrugging it on.

X X X X X

It was still early and the sun just peaked up behind the mountains when Logan woke up feeling Rogue's warm body snuggled next to his. He wore a long sleeved shirt she'd talked him into the night before, but somehow he sensed warmth coming directly from her skin to his hand. Frowning he looked down. Rogue's glove had slipped a little down and her bare wrist was in direct contact with his hand – nothing separating them.

His bewildered gaze rested for a small eternity on their touching skins. But soon joy replaced his puzzlement and a smile of true happiness graced his lips as he carefully - to not wake the beauty - tugged on her glove. When the disturbing fabric was gone – he had thrown it across the room onto the floor – he gently laced their bare fingers, savoring the feeling of her warm and soft palm against his large one.

His plans to get up early thrown in the wind, Logan eventually broke their contact and slid away from her frame. Stripping off his shirt he then concentrated on pulling her glove from her other hand, tugged under her belly in her sleep. He held his breath in apprehension as she groaned and rolled to her side, but her even breathing told him she was still deep asleep. When he had finally freed her hand from her glove he slid back to his former position next to his love and she immediately snuggled into his side. Her head shifted so her bare cheek rested on a spot on his hairy chest above his heart while she draped her arm over his abdomen and her fingers caressed the flesh of his side in her sleep.

He saw an adorable smile form on her pink lips and he wrapped his uncovered arms about her slender form tightly, making her moan lightly. Nuzzling her thick hair he kissed her head lovingly. "I love you so much."

X X X X X

"Good mornin', my love." He greeted the waking beauty in his embrace with a wide smile, his fingers caressing her bare back tenderly - his hands had found their way under her layers of clothing a while ago.

Still half asleep Rogue smiled back, not realizing his shirt was gone as were her gloves. "Morning, sugah." Taking a deep breath she moved her bare fingers through the dark curls of hair on his chest. She nuzzled further into his broad chest and placed a quick kiss onto his warm and naked skin beneath her cheek, sighing contently. _'Ah don't wanna wake up from this dream.'_

'_You already have, runt.'_

'_Stay out of mah dream, Victor!' _She growled at her mental passenger. Then it hit her. He couldn't invade her dreams this way. "Logan!" Suddenly the brunette pushed herself away her eyes widened in shock. "Are you nuts?" With blazing anger about his recklessness she took in his bare torso and her uncovered hands.

"Calm down." Logan sat up in bed a content smile on his lips. "I held you like this for the last hour, Marie." His voice was calm and his hazel eyes kind and full of joy.

"What?!"

The horror in her tone was hard to miss, yet he ignored it and shrugged. "It's possible to completely turn off your powers. You did this in your sleep." He saw the surprise in her agitated features as she processed this information, still disbelief, fear and anger dominant in her chocolate orbs. "I think it's your own fear lockin' you up under all that layers of cloth." He mused aloud, watching her reaction from afar. Logan knew better than to approach her – bare skin or not – in such a mood and situation.

Rogue glared down on her bare hands for the friction of a second, before staring daggers at the Canadian. _'Mah own fear?! … How dare he!'_ He might know her like nobody else did, but this audacity was too much to bear. "Don't go all Freud on me!"

Before he could go on with his musings the brunette had jumped to her feet and bolted over to the bathroom, fetching her clothes from a stool on her way.

X X X X X

A/N: I hope the next update will be soon. But it's up to you, the more reviews the more you get my mind off the other Rogan story and I'll settle onto writing this.


	4. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

A/N: Big Thanks for the nice reviews for this story and "Diapers, Schoolbooks and Adamantium Claws"! Sorry this update took so very long.

I hope there are still some people interested in this fanfic...

X X X X X

CHAPTER 3

Her scent coming from the closed bathroom told him that Marie was still angry and confused, but had already calmed so far that she was now most likely pondering on this new information. Logan decided to give her the time she'd need to make up her mind and accept that it might be her subconscious fears to hold her captive in that vicious circle. With a sight he fetched the remote control from his nightstand and revived the TV.

Half an hour later Rogue emerged from the smaller room, clad in her jeans and a long sleeved shirt. She let her pajamas and Logan's button-up – everything neatly folded – fall down on the couch, before staring back at the other mutant lying on the bed. "That was reckless, Logan." She simply stated her arms crossed over her chest.

"It wasn't. I could have pulled away at the first sign of your mutation." He left the comfortable bed and closed the distance to the still annoyed brunette, placing his hands on her hips. "That's a point to start workin' on, darlin'."

Rogue scoffed, her arms still wrapped about her own body. Her body language signaled plainly that she wasn't in the mood to hug and make up so easily. "Whaddya mean? That Ah don't kill people in mah sleep?"

Logan rolled his eyes about her stubbornness and sarcasm. "As long as you relax and don't think 'bout your mutation, it's turned off or at least down." He slowly sneaked his hands around her waist, his fingers meeting at her back. But he withstood the temptation to pull her body flush against his own. In moments like this it was for _her_ to make up her mind and come to him for comfort, not like back in the hospital when she was too petrified to let anyone close and he had to force his way to console her.

"Turned down?" This got her attention. It was true that the only success in her year long sessions with the professor had been a slowing down the intensity of her draining somebody. This was the reason why she was able to touch John for long moments and control the fires he had caused in the Drakes' garden, without sending the boy into a week long coma.

The Canadian felt her relax her tensed muscles somewhat. "Last time you freaked out 'bout me touchin' your bare skin, back at the motel you remember. Then I had several seconds till your abilities kicked in and even then, the pull was much lighter and slower than usually."

She really hated it when he was right about issues concerning her mental state, he had figured out before she did.

'_You know, runt, Jimmy's right.'_

'_Shut up, Victor!'_ After a moment she added. _'Ah ain't giving him the satisfaction with telling him he might be right.'_

'_Might be?' _Her inner Logan chimed in. _'Sounds pretty valid to me.'_

'_Oh, fuck off, Logan! Ya're such a pain in the ass sometimes!'_ Especially when he shoved the fact right into her face that he was right about something and she was not.

Logan watched his love space out for a moment. Her scent told him that her inner conversation did the opposite to calming her temper and despite knowing it better he pulled her closer to him and placed a peck onto her lips, snapping her out of her inner world. "Hey, don't let Victor get under your skin, Marie."

Rogue blinked a few times and pushed her hands flat against his chest, bringing more space between them. "It's not only Victor, you ain't any better." She grunted out between gritted teeth while tuning the feral brothers in her head out.

He groaned and decided to drop the topic for the time being. His hands left her waist and slung them about her neck, tangling his fingers in her dark locks. "Hey, I could hold you… stroke your bare skin… was nice." His kind hazel eyes searched for her chocolate ones and their gazes eventually locked.

Sighing, the brunette understood his offer to bury this issue, since both of them knew he had a point and she wasn't ready to admit it. "Yeah, it was nice... Really nice." She suppressed the pleased grin that struggled to form on her lips when she thought back to the moment waking up snuggled to his naked chest. Still annoyed, it took her a moment to give into his gentle lips kissing her softly and returning his kiss. When they broke away due to her mutation, she half smiled into his kind face, before pushing free from his embrace. "Get dressed, sugah. We're actually in time for breakfast."

Chuckling he placed a peck onto her forehead and walked over to the bathroom. "9 a.m. is too early for us, babe, isn't it?"

X X X X X

When Logan returned to the main room showered and only wearing his battered jeans from the day before, he approached the fresh washed wife-beater, tee shirt and flannel that waited for him on a stool. Snickering he picked the fabric up and his gaze traveled over to the brunette sitting on the bed watching the news. "You know this is another couple thingy we've goin' on for months now, baby?"

Rogue faced him startled. "Whaddya mean, Logan?"

"You placin' the clothes you want me to wear out for me." A lop-sided grin plastered his features.

Rogue blushed slightly. It was true, she had never really gave a thought about it when she began to lie fresh shirts and jeans onto his bed every morning a few weeks into their mutual travel. A shy smile sneaked its way to her red lips. "Ya want me to stop?"

"Nah, Marie. I ain't complainin', darlin'. Just pointin' out." He slipped the tee shirt over his head and watched the brunette turn the TV off and slide from the bed with a content smile on her features.

X X X X X

A few minutes later they entered the small dining hall on the first floor of the Inn. Marie's gaze swept over the breakfast buffet, relishing in the smell of scrabbled eggs, bacon, pancakes and hot coffee, though she wasn't a coffee drinker, but she liked the aroma. Her eyes wandered over the tables with blue and white flowers in vases on them. Only one table was occupied by a family with two rather bored and tired looking teenage girls.

With a grin she caught her love grasp a plate and hurry over to the meat, while she made her way over to the pancakes. From the corner of the eye she saw Helen leave another room that looked like a small kitchen and approach Logan and her with a warm smile on her lips. "Morning."

"Good morning." The woman greeted. "What would you like to drink?"

Usually Logan would growl at such good tempered morning-people like Helen obviously was, but he thought better of it and flashed her a half smile. "Mornin'. Coffee would be great and hot chocolate for the sugar addicted girl." He smirked as he heard the old woman giggle when she watched Marie drown her breakfast in maple syrup.

Rogue blushed a little and stopped the flow, acutely aware of the amused stares she received from Logan and her host. She approached one of the empty tables while Helen returned to the kitchen. Suddenly a colorful teen magazine caught the brunette's interest and she snatched it from the neighbored table while placing her pancake-syrup-soup onto the wooden tabletop.

Logan had taken his time to move all bacon onto his plate and then bury the mountain of meat under scrambled eggs and two slices of toast bread. Walking over to the table Marie had chosen he heard one of the teenagers whisper to her sister while pointing her index finger towards his jam-packed plate. His scowl darkened for the split of a second and both girls froze in fear before returning their gazes to their cereals. "Found somethin' interesstin', kid?" He grinned down at her just as Helen placed a mug of hot black coffee in front of his seat.

Rogue smiled at the elderly woman while looking up from the magazine. "Thank ya." Then her gaze swapped over to the other mutant with a playful grin. "Just a little reading material for tonight."

Helen returned to the kitchen from where her husband emerged with new bacon to refill the buffet. His eyes immediately fell onto their newest guests, his wife had told him the evening before and he could hardly believe his eyes. The hair was different, but it was indeed Logan Howlett sitting at his table with a girl. Mr. Sheridan almost envied the other man about his still young looks – time hadn't been this generous with him.

When he made his way back to the kitchen, he found his wife peek through the open door. "You're right. It's him." He placed the empty plate onto the counter and beckoned Helen to stop her spying.

"The girl is really his daughter, Frank." She closed the door behind herself. "The age of the teenagers is hard to tell nowadays, but I guess she's about 18. Kayla must be her mother."

He calculated silently and came to the same conclusion. "Likely."

X X X X X

Rogue's chocolate eyes still roamed over the forest green motorbike leaning against the car retailer's office wall. The bike was a piece of junk – she didn't need the feral brothers' expertise to know that, but that old vehicle had caught her interest. "Momma would get a heart attack." She murmured under her breath and tore her gaze from the machine when Logan emerged from the office.

"Thanks, bub." The mutant nodded to the other man and made his way over to his new trailer, his love on his heels, not missing her look on the old motorcycle. "Get the cardboard boxes and the cleanin' stuff we bought yesterday into the trailer while I attach it to the Jeep."

"Yes, sir." The brunette gave him a mock salute and hurried over to their car.

X X X X X

Logan had already begun to sweep the rotten leaves and dirt with the old broom out the front door while Rogue changed into her mold contaminated clothes from the day before. With a grunt he breathed in the clean summer air on the porch, grimacing at the persistent stench of the decaying organic material and the rubber gloves he wore. Not that he had to fear to catch a rare disease, but when he had the choice Logan preferred to not touch that filth with his bare hands.

Rogue stood in the middle of the cabin's main room, her gaze wandering over the cupboards of the kitchen, the fireplace and then landed on the couch. The sofa consisted of a wooden frame, which looked quite intact and tattered cushions. With a sigh the brunette approached the pillows and decided that too much damage had happened to them to get them fixed again and so she lifted one cushion up in order to bring it to the trailer.

But as soon as she had removed the pillow, a rustling resounded from the seating cushion and something was moving beneath the fabric. Before Rogue could guess what might hide there two big brown rats scurried out from under another pillow on the couch and jumped in fear onto the couch-table, then the floor and one eventually hid under the kitchen's boards while the other jumped right into the heap of wet and rotten leaves in the water-damaged corner.

A high pitched shriek rang from Marie's lips as she dropped the pillow in shock and hurried over to the large windows that gave the impression of freedom and refuge. "Logan! Do something!" The Canadian had just reentered the cabin when all hell broke loose and was now watching her with his trademark eyebrow. "Get them out!" She exclaimed while hopping onto the tabletop and sitting down on the round table, her feet hanging in the safe air. "Kill them! Doesn't matter what! Just do something!"

The chuckle, he couldn't bite down, left his lips as he neared the couch shaking his head. "I don't get you sometimes. What's so damn scary at rats that you'll twist your panties?" Now she was staring daggers at him and he couldn't stop his taunting – she just looked so damn cute. "It's like a big hamster with tail."

Her eyes widened in disgust as she watched him scent the air – what didn't help with all the other smells lingering in that room. "A long naked tail! It's just eww!" She shuddered at the mere thought, but gathered enough courage to slide down from the table and step closer to the rat home ignoring the laughter in her mind. She had her pride and she kept telling herself that it were just rodents, some people even had as pets.

The brunette watched warily how Logan lifted the tattered fabric from the seating pillow, the one the moving and now also squeaking came from, revealing a nest in the fluffy cushion-fillings. Rogue's features relaxed somewhat and she bend down to get a better view. "Ohh, Logan look, baby rats!" Meanwhile the pissed off rat mother stood on her legs and began to grit her teeth audibly when Wolverine reached down towards her cubs. "Don't ya dare and kill them!" The girl screamed determined and grasped his wrist almost forcefully.

"What? You just said I should get rid off them!" His puzzled gaze met hers.

She stepped closer to the rate family, her expression a mixture of pleading and exasperation. "But that's a mommy with her babies! Take them carefully and bring them to the garage."

"Alive?" He asked uncertain if he had understood her order correctly.

"Yes! How else?" Rogue barked, her eyes widening. A moment past by, in which she contemplated the situation. "Ya'll take the mother CAREFULLY and Ah'll carry the cushion with her babies."

Shrugging about his girl's change of mind Logan eyed the still threatening rat with a predator's look in his darkening orbs, before his hands shot down towards the small animal with lightening speed. The rodent had never had a chance and was now squeaking in his grasp, before she turned her head around and sank her sharp teeth into his index finger. "That fuckin' brute bit me!" He almost sounded disbelieving, how such a small animal would dare and attack the mighty Wolverine. But he had to ignore the pain and the urge to forcefully remove the shark like mouth from his flesh. "Think got even down to the bone!" With his now free hand he eventually got a grip on the animal's neck and caused her to lighten her bite on him.

"Don't be such a baby, Logan!" Rogue furrowed her brows on his antics and bent down to pick the cushion up when another rat fled from the sofa. _'They're more afraid of me than Ah'm of 'em.'_ She told herself calming her nerves and watched the new rat race into the leaf heap to the other.

While carrying the nest, she scrutinized the about a dozen cubs in it. She had to smile involuntarily when one of the half naked babies began to crawl over its siblings, but failed to do so and rolled onto its back. The downy brown fur was much lighter on the stomach and Marie noticed that the dark skinned tail – that wasn't so disgusting on a closer look – had a light patch on its tip.

Shaking his head about Rogue, the mutant opened the garage with some difficulty, the rat still clinging to his finger. "So what now, Marie?"

The brunette pushed past him and observed the room until her eyes fell upon a small hole in the wall beyond the counter. With a grin she walked over and gently placed the nest down in front of the opening to the Canadian wilderness.

Grunting Logan let go of the rat, which still hang on his hand with its teeth for a moment before she realized that she was free and let herself fall to the ground and hurried over to the old bike, hiding there. The Canadian saw the disapproving glare of his love. "What?" The brunette rolled her eyes and left the garage. "Great, now I've rodents room in my garage."

"Ah already have an idea. Will ya just stop the sulking and catch the other rats in the living room?"

He narrowed his eyes on her when they returned to the cabin. "I ain't sulkin'!" But she ignored his comment and vanished into the study with a cardboard box. A few minutes later the girl returned with four wooden boards, Logan first wondered where she had gotten those from, but then noticed the empty bookshelf in the study behind her. He followed her to the smaller hut with another rat tasting its way to his Adamantium bones.

From her peripheral view Rogue saw the rat mother had returned to her cubs and she approached her carefully picking up a hammer and nails from the counter. She saw Logan's curious gaze on her, after he had placed the rat down on the floor.

When he returned a little later with another animal in his hands Logan saw that his love had already connected the four boards to two walls and was now carefully position it around the nest, so the cushion was encircled by wooden walls on all four sites and the only way out was the hole in the wall. Fine, they could probably climb over her makeshift barricades, but they would find some grate to close this window to freedom - or rather to the garage.

He walked over to the new rat home and placed the male rat down next to the cushion observing Marie's work. "Good job, kid." He eventually praised her and began his hunt for the animal he had placed on the garage's floor a few minutes before.

Grinning the brunette stood up and made her way towards the exit. "Thanks, sugah. Now convinced that Ah'm able to help ya with the repairs?"

"Never said I wouldn't think you capable of using a hammer, darlin'." He cursed colorfully when his prey evaded his hands and hurried under his old pickup. The last he heard from his girl before she left the hut was her giggles about his failed hunting attempt.

Logan had eventually captured the rodent and placed it to the others and was now on his way back to the cabin to catch the rest, he almost walked right into Rogue, who carried the cushion fillings, a cookie and a cup. "Whatchaya doin' with the Oreo and the water?"

"They're for the rats." She saw his eyebrow quirk upwards. "What? They'll need something."

He couldn't suppress the snicker. "They lived almost two decades on their own."

Rogue pursed her lips and would have crossed her arms if they hadn't been full with stuff. "And?" Wasn't like she needed his permission to feed the animals.

"Do whatever you want, darlin'." Chuckling he walked back to the cabin and resumed the cleaning of the floor while watching out for more rats.

X X X X X

A/N: Reviews would be nice, this way I know there are still people out there, reading this fanfic.

If there's still interest, I'll update next week :-)


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews and PMs, those made my day. Here's the next chapter:

X X X X X

CHAPTER 4

Exhaust from the work on his cabin both relaxed on the soft bed in the Inn and in the other's comforting company. Logan was resting on his back, his head popped up on his pillow and the headboard with a cold Molson in his hand while the TV was running on low volume. But his eyes were trained on the black silk panties that were – once again – revealed by Rogue's legs kicking up and down in a steady rhythm causing her black miniskirt to slip upwards on her butt.

The brunette lay flat on her stomach, her head towards the foot of the bed and her attention on the teen-magazine she had found in the morning, reading out loud the mostly ridicules questions of the teenagers between fits of laughter. This was one of her favorite pastimes with Logan – had already been at the mansion after Wolverine had confiscated such a magazine from two embarrassed ten-year olds once and thrown it at her bed with the words 'New reading material, kid.'. It hadn't taken long till Rogue had burst into his room, plopped down onto his bed to share her amusement with her best friend.

"Jesus!" Rogue's head shoot up, her eyes gleamed with mirth and she met Logan's gaze – at least she thought she would. But his hazel eyes were glued to her behind and a lustful smile plastered his lips. "Logan?" Immediately the young woman's view found the spot her love was staring at. Not bothering with covering her lingerie with her skirt, she lifted her right foot before letting it crush down onto Logan's sternum. A grunt of pain and bewilderment escaped his mouth and his glare traveled to her blushed face while Rogue resumed with flicking her legs.

The Canadian growled at her sly grin. "Ya always did that, sugah, didn't ya?"

"Guilty." His eyes traveled back to her behind. "But now I can take much more pleasure in the view."

"Huh?"

"Knowin' it's mine." The smirk that filled his features was predatory even without the long and sharp canines his brother possessed.

Shaking her head on him she snickered at the dark spots that found their way to his hazel eyes, telling her Wolverine has left his confinement. "Would ya look me in the face when ya speak with me?"

"Maybe, but it's so fuckin' mesmerizin', babe." This time he caught her leg before it collided with his chest, but broke the contact of bare skin as soon as the pull started to drain him – the last moment _he_ was still capable to withdraw from her touch, before her mutation would make it impossible for _him_.

Rogue's blush intensified tenfold at the desire and pure primal lust that flowed right into her and caused warmth to spread in her abdomen and a wetness in her panties. "Fuck ya, Logan!" Catching the meaning of her curse she slapped her hand over her mouth in utter embarrassment.

With a deep inhalation of her arousal Logan's clouded gaze finally tore away from her butt and his cocky grin taunted her even more than his words could. "No objection if you lent me a hand, darlin'."

Groaning in shame that she had provided him an opportunity to tease her, she buried her face in the magazine spread on the bed before her, crumbling the paper doing so. Logan heard her mutter a string of cusses, she usually only let loose when watching hockey. Chuckling he reached out and patted her bare thigh gently. "You wanted t' show somethin' t' the good ol' me?"

With a last muffled curse she lifted her head and faced Logan with huge eyes while biting carefully on her lower lip and straightening the crumbled magazine. His infamous eyebrow was hitched and he waited expectantly.

Her gaze focused back onto the article and she began to read, her southern drawl only interrupted by her chuckles. "'K, Judith, 15 asks: Ah gave mah boyfriend a blowing job and Ah swallowed his sperm. The next morning Ah had to throw up. Ah'm afraid Ah'm pregnant now. Shall Ah see a doctor?" Her voice became higher the more she tried to bite down her mirth but gave finally in.

Like back at the mansion Wolverine's dark laughter made her meet his disbelieving stare as he barked his usual "You made that one up, kid!" at her.

"Nah, Ah didn't." She pushed herself to her knees, still laughing like a loon, and crawled over to Logan holding the paper under his nose. "Read."

"Holy shit! Did the chick sleep during sex ed.?"

X X X X X

The next morning after a very quick breakfast – both had slept till shortly past 9, but Helen was so nice to prolong the breakfast for them; Logan didn't bother and took his time, but Marie felt a little uncomfortable by troubling their host – the two mutants entered the local post office that also served as tourist information center. The man in his mid-fourties eyed the two from his seat behind the counter. Before Logan could greet the man in his usual growly way, the man turned around to the adjoined room and called a 'Steve!' and then faced his customers. "One moment please."

Marie and her love shared a confused gaze and watched an old man cross the threshold to the main post office. He stopped in his tracks a moment, staring at Logan before hobbling with his cane to the counter. "My God, the Sheridans were right! It's indeed you, my boy!"

Wolverine furrowed his brows – not liking that he obviously was the main gossip topic of this town. "Well, yeah I'm back. I need a map and the opening hours of the junk yard."

The old man smiled and reached under the counter to retrieve the map and a flyer, placing both items onto the wooden counter-top with his trembling hand. Marie guessed him to be over eighty at least. "Two ninety for the map."

Logan placed a crumbled five dollar note next to the items, which Marie took and stuffed away in her bag. Both were about to say their good-byes, when Steve spoke up again. "Do you want to check on your post-office box, Mr. Howlett?"

The mutant's eyebrow shot upwards in surprise. "My post-office box?" It took him a moment. "Umm, sure…you still have it?"

Nodding the old man turned to his colleague. "Tenner, open 142 and bring the content here." Then he faced his customers. "The money transfer order still exists to pay for the box and your account seems to be covered even after all those years." He slid a paper over. "I just need your sign here and here."

Now, Logan was curious – not that he would have shown it – and took the cardboard box with dozens of letters with a nod in thanks to a desk opposite the counter. "Take your time, my boy," said Steve and returned to the other room.

Marie took the seat next to her love and watched him take the first heap of letters for closer inspection out of the box. Most of the letters came from the local bank and Logan opened the latest one – only one month old. A content smile tucked on his lips as he read the statement of account and his available funds. "Buying the building material won't be a problem now, darlin'. Gonna check the bank before we dump the trash." He placed the paper before her.

"Wow, over 25.000!" Her chocolate eyes were huge. "Ah wonder how much are the interest?"

"Then have a look at the old statements of account from twenty years ago." His eyes quickly landed on the heap in the box, before returning to the letter he was reading. "Seems like there's a second account on my name with a few thousands on it." He sorted through the papers of the bank while Marie fished the oldest letters from the bottom and ripped the first – a large one - open.

To her disappointment it was a shopping catalogue and with a look onto the address, she felt kinda bad. "Oh."

"Somethin' wrong, Marie?"

The young woman faced him a little troubled. "Ah didn't look for whom the letter was… Ah opened Kayla's."

The Canadian brushed a white streak from her face and tugged it behind her ear with a faint smile. "Is fine. There'll be more stuff addressed to her. Just sort advertises out."

The brunette nodded and resumed her work, placing all catalogues aside for the trash, only a 19 year old motorcycle catalogue ended up on the 'important' heap after her inner companions complaint – finally agreeing on something. From time to time she leafed through the old catalogues, grinning about the weird hairstyles and clothes that were 'in' back then. "Oh, you were fired 'cuz you didn't attend your job."

"Oh really? Hadn't seen that comin'!" Logan joked. "My and Kayla's health insurances were also cancelled. Just like the telephone connection 'cause the tariff doesn't exist any longer… that was about 15 years ago and we didn't react onto their letters."

"Yup, that are those." Marie lifted four up.

Half an hour later, Logan dumped the advertises in the bin and shoved a few important letters into Marie's bag before he brought the remaining letters back to Tenner in order to put them back into his post-office box.

X X X X X

While Logan spent his time in the bank, convincing the bankers that he indeed was James Logan Howlett – it took him a great afford to remain calm and more or less polite – Marie looked through the shopping windows of the neighbored stores. After a while a woman came out of the jewelry, the Southern girl stood in front of. "Hi, you must be here with Mr. Howlett. I'm Nancy. My big bro was a fellow logger."

A little startled the young mutant smiled. "Hi, I'm Marie. It seems the whole town knows about us."

"Kinda. It isn't like everyday returns a death-thought man after 20 years." Nancy mustered the girl and wondered about her opera gloves. "Do you want to come in? I can show you more pieces."

Marie hesitated a moment, but then thought that her Wolverine would find her with the help of his nose. "This would be nice. Do you have pendants?"

"Sure."

X X X X X

The bell above the door chimed and Marie turned around with a bright smile. "Hey. Taken care of everything?"

"Yup, eventually. After Chuck faxed some papers to confirm my identity and stuff." He would have preferred to not rely onto the help of the professor, but he was the only one able to provide fake medical reports and IDs quickly. "Found somethin' for your bracelet?"

Marie's smile had faltered at the sound of her mentor's name, knowing how angry her love must be about the other man, but now she lifted a small tree-shaped pendant up. "This one." On his questioning eyebrow she continued. "'Cuz this is a loggers town and you were also a logger here."

Nancy smiled at the man. "Hello, Mr. Howlett." She placed a plain necklace onto the counter. "Did you mean something like this?"

"Oh, yes!"

Logan chuckled and retrieved his wallet. "How much?"

"20,98, please."

Marie took the dog-tag from her wrist and hung it onto her new necklace. After stuffing the change away, Logan placed the necklace carefully around his Marie's neck and then attached the pendant to her wristlet. "Happy birthday, Marie."

The brunette beamed and tiptoed to brush a peck onto his hairy cheek – like she had always done. "Thanks!"

Nancy smiled about the cute interaction. "Oh, it's your birthday?" She was about to congratulate, when the girl shook her head.

"No, mah birthday was a few months ago."

"I got her the bracelet for her birthday and the pendants are included." Logan slung his arm about her shoulder and squeezed her into his side. "One pendant for every town or city we visited."

"Oh, that's such a nice idea!" The salesclerk watched the two turn towards the exit.

"Yes, it is." Marie smiled. "Bye, Nancy." Logan grunted his 'bye' and led his love out the store.

"Good bye and welcome back, Mr. Howlett!"

Wolverine furrowed his brows. "Yeah… thanks." Marie saw his irritated expression and giggled. "Jesus, does everybody in this shithole know me?"

X X X X X

After the junk yard visit, they drove to the local lumber mill – on advise of the yard owner – to buy wood for the repairs. The men there – many old logger buddies of Logan – were happy to see him again and invited them to a beer, even Marie got one without showing her ID or telling her age. They sat in the back-room of the mill and bombarded their lost friend with questions. Logan felt uncomfortable, not used to tell about himself.

Cole, the boss, took a swig. "Too bad to hear this about Kayla." They had told them about a bad car accident Logan and Kayla had been involved in. The old man's gaze travelled over to Marie. "You look a lot like her."

"Really?" Marie was perplexed about this statement and didn't know what to say. Fine, both of them were brunette and had dark eyes, but other than that Marie couldn't come up with any more similarities.

Logan also frowned about this statement, but wanted to come back to business. "Anyway. My old cabin is in bad shape. We need wood for the repairs."

"Usually we don't sell material to private persons, there's a giant building-supply-store in the development area just down the main road, but I'll do an exception for you, Logan."

"Thanks, bub."

"Stanley will help you get the stuff onto your trailer."

A man with shoulder long hair captured to a ponytail got to his feet and emptied his bottle. "I show you to the storage area."

Logan also downed his beer and stood up, while Marie hurriedly took big gulps, making all men – except Logan - stare at her. "Easy, girl." "You don't have to empty it."

But the brunette placed the empty bottle onto the tabletop and whipped her mouth with the back of her opera-glove. "Thanks for the beer!" She said cheerfully into the amazed faces of the loggers and left her seat. "Ah can hold mah liquor." She added and her love chuckled.

"Yeah sure, kid! Do I have to remind you on your birthday? I had to write an apology for the school the next day!"

Marie crossed her arms in defense. "And Ah swore Ah'll never gonna be drunk again. And ONE beer in your company is nothing!"

Logan shrugged. "As long as you can still hold a hammer correctly…" He walked away, the brunette rushing to his side.

"And, Logan, if you're looking for a job, I can always need a good man like you." Cole said, before ushering his loggers back to work.

The mutant smirked. "I'll keep that in mind, but first we need a roof over the head."

"Good luck with the repairs." Another man, Kyle, offered his help.

X X X X X

On their way to the cabin, they stopped for lunch at a diner – there again, Logan was welcomed like a long lost son, even by strangers, who only had heard his story by now. Wolverine was glad as they arrived at the solitude of his old cabin.

"What? Ah'm just saying it's nice that they're remembering you in a good way!" Marie stated and walked towards the garage to get hammers and nails and to check upon the rat-family – they had found an old chicken wire at the junk yard and the brunette fixed it to the new rat home, so the rodents couldn't run in the garage any longer.

"They shall take care of their own damn businesses and leave me the hell alone!" Logan shouted and popped one of his sharp Adamantium claws. He stood on the outside of the damaged corner and pushed his weapon into the wood, slicing through it like through butter. With the help of a stool he reached the upper end of the wall and made a second cut directly under the balk supporting the roof and then another behind the corner – cutting out the mold-infected wall like a corner from a cardboard-box. As soon as he was done he hurried inside to push the wall outside onto the rocky ground – telling Marie to stay away – and then he added a thick bulk vertically for stability.

When he was done and whipped his forehead the young woman encircled his hand as the claw had returned to its hiding-place in his arm and caressed his knuckles with her fingertips. "It's just now… in a few days it'll be as if you were never gone and nobody will treat you special."

"Hope you're right, darlin'."

X X X X X

A/N: I hope you liked this chappie. Reviews are a great thing and make me write more!

A/N2: It seems that there are several grammar and spelling mistakes (sorry for those), I would be happy if someone would volunteer and beta this chapter and the following ones.


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Beta: Thanks to **firebirdgirl**!

A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Here is the next chapter! By the way I recently uploaded another X-Men-Fanfic: Abandoned Souls…

CHAPTER 5

The next days were spent with fixing the walls and exchanging the floor-boards in front of the fridge – that was now the junkyard's problem –cleaning the large windows and the bathroom. Marie had fallen in love with the old wooden couch frame and insisted on repairing all the gnawed holes and painting the wood. Logan simply told her that the couch was her project and she could do with it whatever she wanted, earning him a hot kiss and a cloudy head – Marie's power had kicked in.

Cole hadn't exaggerated as he'd called the building supply store gigantic –it was a little village of its own; at least nobody who knew them was there, meaning no greetings. Logan pushed their second cart next to their overloaded first one and began to re-arrange the electric drill – they finally had electricity at the cabin – the cables, nails, screws, replacement parts for his old pick-up and other tools, when Marie returned with an incredible sweet smile. Logan knew she wanted to convince him to buy some crap. "What did you found now, darlin'?" She had already insisted to buy pastel green cushions for the couch and teak stain for its frame and the old coffee-table.

"Nothing bad." She promised and pulled two packages from behind her back. One was a plain white toilet seat – with this Logan could live – and a shower curtain with a large tropical flower printed on it – the Canadian's infamous eyebrow shot up.

"Do you prefer dolphins?" The brunette put in. On his startled expression, she smirked. "Thought so."

With a sigh he took the items and added them to their second cart. "You wanted new curtains?" _'This is a friggin' building supply! Why in the world does it have a department for cloth and garden furniture!'_

"Yes, but before we get them, Ah have to show you something!" Marie beamed and began to push the half-full cart in a new direction, leaving the full one stand near the exit – they would surely find it again, there weren't many carts harboring rat-food and three new lamps.

That something turned out to be a BBQ grill, something Logan approved of immediately. It used wood or coal, not gas. The Wolverine liked his meat rare but with a faint taste that only a coal-grill could provide. "Ah knew you would like it!" Marie exclaimed on his smile and fetched a box from an adjoined pile. "Until the stove works, we can cook our food on it!" When she looked up again, she was met with a love filled gaze her Logan cast her.

"I love you, you know that, babe."

"Ah love you, too, sugah." Logan closed the distance between their lips and stole a sweet and loving kiss from his Southern Girl, until she broke away to protect him from her life-sucking power and smiled that bright smile he loved so much again. "Now let's get those curtains!"

Chuckling about her enthusiasm he followed her to the other department. "This store is awesome! They even have beddings! And mattresses!"

"Fuck!"

Marie shot him a glare. "We need new stuff! And the bed casings here are nice and cheap. The ones at the cabin are all from another century!"

X

He was glad that his Marie wasn't like other women needing hours to decide whether they take a cherry colored or tomato colored item – for Logan red was red. Now two young men – most likely students – helped them load the shingles and other heavy purchases onto their trailer, while Marie stowed the smaller things like nails away in bags and then in their Jeep.

They were both exhausted and just wanted to bring their purchases to the cabin and then return to the inn for their last night there – they had planned to move into the cabin the following day. Fine, the roof was still a ruin over that certain corner, but the bathroom was working and clean – just needed the new toilet seat, shower curtain and bath mat – and the bedroom was just waiting for the new mattress, beddings and a small carpet, Marie had also found at the store.

Logan grinned as he saw how his love's eyes fell shut every few seconds and the brunette struggled against the sleep that threatened to overcome her any moment now. It was still early in the evening, but he decided that it was best to drop Marie at the inn and get their stuff to the cabin by himself. When he slowed down across from the Inn, Marie looked up startled. "Why are ya stopping?"

"You're too tired, darlin'. Just go up into our room and relax, I'll join you in an hour."

"Naw, Ah wanna help you."

"I'll just disconnect the trailer and throw the cushions and stuff into the living-room. There's nothing you can do."

With a sigh, the brunette gave in and opened the door. "Ok, till later." It was a nice day and many people were on the streets and Marie almost bumped into a young mother when she left the car and turned around. "Oh sorry."

"Nothing happened." The woman said and resumed her way with her buggy.

Marie rushed over the street and opened the door to the inn when she heard Logan call her name.

An elderly couple walking down the sidewalk watched Logan hurry after Marie and place a key into her hand. "They're so sweet. Kayla would be so proud knowing he's taking so good care of her little girl."

The Sheridans, who were in the lobby, wondered why Marie still held the door open. "Is something wrong, honey?" The woman asked.

"Everything's fine. Ah just forget the key for the room." Marie explained and faced her Wolverine with a smile. "Hurry."

Logan smirked. "I will." He leaned down and captured her lips in a loving good-bye-kiss. Suddenly his sharp ears heard several gasps and then disgusted and with hate filled voices. "How sick is this?" "Perverted bastard!" "He kisses his own daughter!"

The mutant broke away and looked around himself and Marie – as did she – only to see that everyone was staring at them in disbelief and anger. "WTF! My daughter?" Logan growled and placed his arm protectively around his love as a few men approached them.

"God! And this in our town!" Another old woman exclaimed, while one of the men was about to grab Logan's hand and pull him away from the brunette, but Wolverine's threatening snarl made him think twice about touching the man. "Let go of your daughter, you sick bastard!"

Marie saw the situation almost escalate and before Logan could do something stupid – his animal-like growls were already suspicious and they didn't know if this town was mutant-friendly – she placed her flat hand onto his chest to keep her love from attacking and to calm him. With resolve in her brown eyes, she faced the crowd. "Logan and Ah are NOT related for God's sake!"

"What?" The people shared some irritated and disbelieving gazes and Logan took another calming breath, looking around him. "Jesus Christ! How in the world did the whole fuckin' town come upon this ridiculous idea?"

"B- but… Ben…" someone stammered, and someone else added. "… and the Sheridans…"

"We assumed she was Kayla's and yours…" Mr. Sheridan trailed off.

"You assumed! That's all that is!" Logan bellowed.

"You have the right age, dear." Helen tried to defend her assumption, eyeing the young brunette.

Marie crossed her arms about her chest. "Have not! Ah'm twenty!"

"You look younger…"

Mr. Sheridan was still confused. "You asked for two beds."

"What's fuckin' wrong with that question?" Logan shot back and his love continued before the town could get a better impression on his colorful vocabulary. "Ah might know Logan for a few years now, but we're together for a little over a week!" Her cheeks flushed a little, unused to speak about her relationship.

"So… the beds…"

"It's not your fuckin' business, but to get the gossip straight: I won't rush things with my Marie." Logan spat, his claws itching beyond his knuckles.

Suddenly a police car stopped next to the crowd and Deputy Lupo stepped out from the vehicle and made his way towards the two mutants. "Sir, would you please step away from your daughter."

"Ya even called the cops?" Logan shot a disbelieving glare at the people surrounding him.

"Sir." The policeman urged.

"Don't think so, bub." Wolverine balled his fist.

Rogue tensed as she caught the officer reach for his gun in his holster, his disgusted stare piercing into her love. She heard someone say "Nick, it's a misunderstanding." and decided to ease the situation before Logan would give them real reason for gossip and stares. "That's right, sir. Just a misunderstanding."

The man's scowl deepened and Rogue carefully fetched her wallet from her black pants retrieving her ID. "Ah'm not Logan Howlett's daughter or any other kind of relative of his." Her anger suddenly evaporated as Lupo's disgusted features turned into a disbelieving gape when he looked at the ID. His face was priceless as he calculated her age and finally announced "You're twenty years old, Miss D'Ancanto.".

"Ah know." Was all Rogue could get out before she burst into a fit of laughter. The situation was just so ridiculous. The whispers and stares weren't something new, since most people thought their age difference improper, but she had never dreamt that the situation would go so far and someone would actually call the police.

Logan wasn't the only one looking startled at his love. "Darlin'? Good to see you found the humor in this fucked up situation. I didn't."

"It's so ironic." She laughed so hard, she had to wipe her tears away. "We wondered the entire time why nobody was disapproving of our relationship and whispering 'how cute we were together'." She took a breath. "But they thought we were father and daughter, not a couple!"

X

After he had shot the onlookers his scary scowl, Logan turned towards the Sheridans, his arm still slung around his Marie protectively. "Do we have a problem? Spill it now and we can get our stuff 'n go."

A shiver run down Frank Sheridan's spine at the threatening tone of the other man and his wild eyes. The two had been good guests, no special wishes, always quite at their room and polite – though especially the man didn't seem to be a morning person. There was nothing to complain about them and their relationship wasn't against law, though personally Frank didn't like to see this young woman with such an old man, who could be her father.

Helen saw her husband's inner conflict and stepped forward with a pressed smile on her lips. "Of course not." She traded a quick gaze with Frank. "We're sorry about … all this…"

"Well, yes," added the old man – not really meaning it.

Marie smiled and turned in Logan's arm to face him. "See, all's fine. Now hurry and get that stuff to the cabin."

A reluctant growl rumbled in Logan's chest and he was about to object – she was too forgiving sometimes – but her warm lips on his evaporated his worries. "You sure, you're ok?"

His eyes held that genuine care and love for her – this gaze made her feel so special. "Yes. Now go, sugah."

With a quick kiss and a last look Logan turned and left the Inn. _'She's safe here. The town's angry with me, not her…'_

X

Back in their room Marie was suddenly wide awake and flipping through the TV channels, finding nothing interesting. She fetched her cell and dialed a number, while leaning back into her pillow. "Hi, Momma, it's me!"

"Marie, honey!" The brunette heard her mother's surprised voice and then heard her muffled call – the hand over the speaker, Marie assumed. "Owen, Josh, Marie is on the phone!" Then she had her mother's attention. "How are ya?"

"Fine. And ya? Make it back to Mississippi without further stops in trucker bars?" She couldn't bite down her evil chuckle.

"Gawd, don't remind me!" Mrs. D'Ancanto heard her daughter's giggles just as her husband and son arrived and she switched the phone to the speaker, so everyone could listen. "Where are ya, honey?"

Marie heard her father ask, not missing the hesitation in his voice – he wanted to ask something else. "We're in Canada., Logan's former home-town."

"So, ya didn't return to that school yet?"

Marie began to twist her white streak around her index-finger absently. "Nope. We're currently repairing Logan's cottage."

"He has a cottage?" Her mother asked surprised, whereas her father's tone held anger. "He let's ya work for him?"

"What does that mean? Of course Ah help him! He's mah bo- best friend!" The word boyfriend had almost slipped from her lips. It would take time to rebuild the relationship with her family and throwing Logan into the mix as something else than her friend wouldn't help the matter. "Aside from that, it's really fun. And Ah'm quite gifted to work with a hammer and saw." Rogue stated proudly.

"Oh please be careful, Marie." Her mother said, sick with worry.

Josh also wanted to put in his two cents. "So his former home town… How is it there?"

"Twenty years ago it was a one-horse town worse than Meridian, but now it even has a high school and a mall, but it's still a town in the Canadian Rockies with a lot of wilderness around."

"And Logan had a house back then?" Owen sounded disbelieving.

"Yep. It's still a dump at the moment, but it was a nice little hut with a breathtaking view over the Rockies. Ah just can't wait till we can move in. Ah imagine it awesome to wake up to the sun peeking over the snowy mountain tops. The bedroom has panorama windows, Momma!" She knew how much her mother loved the idea of panorama windows.

"So ya gonna sleep in his bedroom, Marie?" Her father asked anxiously.

The young woman rolled her eyes. "Yes and? There's only one bedroom and it ain't something new. By the way, the entire town thought us father and daughter since we had arrived here. So nothing to worry about…"

A/N: Again thanks to firebirdgirl for beta-reading.

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